new in town
garden club program
on invasives
Author: Sondra J. Byrnes
Sondra J. Byrnes, relatively new to writing poetry, writes haiku, senryu, and tanka. Her poetry has been published in Frogpond, Prune Juice, tinywords, A Hundred Gourds, Ribbons, Modern Haiku, The Heron's Nest, Moongarlic, among others. Along with short form poetry, Byrnes is interested in ikebana and chanoyu. Byrnes is a retired law and business professor from the University of Notre Dame; she lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
garden party
an evening breeze combs
the willow
wind keens
through the canyon
ancient voices
solemn nods
of pampas grass–
late summer
everywhere
someone’s hands
this old adobe
blistering heat a little bounce in the asphalt
an old cedar grove
behind the ancient temple–
deep wisdom
the old elm
its darkness perfected
by snow
the big questions
remain unanswered
i deadhead the petunias
asking directions
the uniformed schoolgirls
point three ways
morning glories
tighten their grip —
late summer
steam rising
through a band of light
winter tea
had i stayed
where i started
clear sky
after the monsoon
a light rain
apology
that raccoon
you know is out there —
a summer fling
summertime–
let the screen door
bang
thanksgiving leftovers
all the things we
didn’t say
withered vines —
stringing winter into
a rosary
dinner for one–
she reheats the
argument
zazen–
my knees
won’t stop talking